A. Technical Field
Provided is a system and method for issuing or producing a single-pass electronic ticket which is to be presented for authorization prior to entering vehicles, transportation systems or specific establishments or places. The system and method may be used as a means to provide individuals with access or entry into public or private transportation systems or any public or private establishment or venue.
B. Description of Related Art
Conventional one-pass tickets mainly use technologies such as magnetic strips, barcodes, and Radio Frequency Identification Code (RFID) chips (e.g., MIFARE Classic and MIFARE Ultralight) to store relevant ticket and purchase information for validation at the point of entry for access to a transportation system or to a particular event, location or other venue.
One of the cheapest forms of electronic ticketing solutions is the use of magnetic tickets. Magnetic tickets are widely used by operators of mass public transport systems as well as for entry into specific events, locations and establishments. Magnetic tickets store data on magnetic tracks present on the front or backside of the ticket. A reader is used to read and write data on the magnetic strips incorporated within these tickets. The reader typically requires a relatively complex mechanical movement wherein the ticket is passed through electronic sensors to perform a read/write operation. This read/write operation is necessary to validate the ticket and return it to the passengers, patrons or customers. This mechanical complication is high maintenance and increases both the cost of ownership as well as the cost of operation. It also reduces or limits availability of access to within a certain time frame for use, which may be desirable for use in mass public transportation systems.
Another type of electronic ticketing solution is the use of contactless cards such as smart cards. Contactless cards utilize Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) chips. These chips are more expensive than magnetic tickets. However, the corresponding validators of RFID chips are much simpler and low maintenance compared to magnetic tickets. They are also more reliable and more readily available than magnetic tickets. Another advantage of using contactless cards, as an electronic ticketing solution is that contactless validators can be used to read/write the contactless cards from a close proximity without the need of any physical contact between the card and the reader. Moreover, the read/write operation can be performed in a fraction of a second. Also, because of the ability to read and write data directly from the RFID chips, operators can run the validators in a semi-online or fully offline mode which may further ensure customers of the security of the fee collection and validation process.
Another alternative low cost solution to magnetic tickets is the barcode media. Among the different barcode forms, QR codes (Quick Response codes) are of interest because of its fast readability and great storage capacity. QR codes are emerging as an alternative technology in payment systems. This technology is becoming popular in the field of mobile payments and electronic ticketing solutions. The cost of producing electronic tickets with QR codes is among the lowest in the industry compared to the other ticketing solutions. One of the disadvantages of utilizing QR codes, however, is that validation of the printed code in public transport systems requires a fully online infrastructure. The main reason for this online infrastructure is due to writing limitations of QR code readers. QR code readers are only able to read code. They are unable to write anything on the tickets. This represents a major limitation to their day-to-day use. In addition, there is a high risk that electronic ticket utilizing QR codes may be fraudulently copied, as it is relatively easy to do so. These two disadvantages are major obstacles to deploying a semi-online or fully offline solution for QR codes. Developing a semi-online or fully offline infrastructure for fare collections utilizing QR codes or any other type of two dimensional code system, however, can provide a basic level of security against fraud and is desirable for use in public/private transportation fare collection systems as well as fare collection systems for other establishments and venues.
Thus, there is a need for a single-pass ticketing solution, which incorporates the type of read/write operations necessary to enable operators to deploy an electronic ticketing system in a semi-online or fully offline infrastructure and which also provides a very low cost electronic ticketing solution.